Angelina Jolie says was "very happy" she underwent a double mastectomy in 2013; "It makes me feel closer to people who deal with the same things," the star shares in a new interview.
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Angie understands. Actress, director, and mother of six gorgeous kids Angelina Jolie says she has connected with many people about health issues after she penned an op-ed last May revealing that she underwent a preventative double mastectomy earlier that March.

"Wherever I go, usually I run into women and we talk about health issues, women’s issues, breast cancer, ovarian cancer," the Maleficent star, 38, told Entertainment Weekly. Through her pain and personal journey, Jolie said she can empathize with strangers. "I've talked to men about their daughters' and wives' health," Brad Pitt's fiancee added. "It makes me feel closer to other people who deal with the same things and have either lost their parents or are considering surgeries or wondering about their children."

In her poignant essay published by the New York Times last May, Jolie recalled the 2007 death of her mother Marcheline Bertrand, who passed away from cancer at age 56. The Oscar winner revealed that genetically, she was at high risk for breast and ovarian cancers after learning that she carried "fault" gene, BRCA1. "Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much I could. I made a decision to have a preventive double mastectomy," Jolie wrote in her op-ed. "I am writing about it now because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience."

The star completed three months of procedures last February and underwent breast reconstruction surgery. "There's still another surgery to have, which I haven't yet," Jolie told EW in its Mar. 14 issue. "I'll, you know, I'll get advice from all these wonderful people who I've been talking to, to get through that next stage."

"I was very, very moved by all the support and kindness from so many people," Jolie added. "I'm great! I'm very happy I made the decision. I was very fortunate to have great doctors and very, very fortunate to have a good recovery and have a project like 'Unbroken' to have something to be really focused on, to be getting healthy for, and to be able to just get right back to work," she added. Jolie just returned last month to Hollywood after filming the World War II movie in Australia.